Jonny Dean Signs with Chicago FireA key piece is leaving
The Legion and Chicago Fire of MLS today announced that a transfer deal has been made for defender Jonny Dean.
Jonny had been on the Fire’s radar since last summer and will provide some apparently lacking depth on the team’s defense. Jonny of course was a USL standout last season, and was the only outfield player not to miss a single minute of the season. He is also much loved here in Birmingham and will be sorely missed, but this opportunity has been well-earned and makes up for him reportedly missing out on a deal with Nashville SC last offseason.
The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, which is typical for both leagues, so it is not clear what, if any, compensation the Legion is getting. The bigger issue, though, is how he is going to be replaced. His comprehensive skill set, including, speed, stamina, tackling and service are going to be hard to replace in a single package.
The Legion has been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far, at least on the incoming side. Zach Herivaux, Marlon Santos and Jonny Dean have all moved on, and the only acquisition to date is Tyler Pasher. That’s admittedly a good one, but we clearly need to get active.
With that, the Forge offers its congratulations to Jonny Dean and wishes him well for the future!
